Draft appliance.



W. TIBRNAN & H. M. SGHREIBER.

DRAFT APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1910.

1,009,267. Patented 1101.21, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH C0. WASHINGTON. D. C.

W. TIERNAN & H. M. SOHREIBER.

DRAFT APPLIANCE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1910.

Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WILLIAM TIERNAN AND HENRY M. SCI-IREIBER, OF ROLFE, IOWA.

TQE.

DRAFT APPLIANCE.

Application filed September 16, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, VVILL'IAM TIERNAN and HENRY M. SGHREIBER, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of Rolfe, Pocahontas county, Iowa, have invented a new and useful Draft Appliance, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction for draft appliances.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved means for conjunctively using a supporting truck and hitching connections.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved construction for a supporting truck and means for connecting the same to a tongue to be supported.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved connection between swingletrees and an evener plate.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved means for adjusting a stub tongue laterally of the frame of a machine to be drawn.

Our invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in our claims and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan of the device, a portion of the swingle-trees being broken away. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same devices. Fig. 3 is a plan, on an enlarged scale, of the evener plate and slidable clevis, the dotted lines showing various positions of the clevis. Fig. 4 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, on the indicated line 4r-4: of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a side elevation, opposite to Fig. 2, of a portion of the devices.

In the construction of the device as shown the numeral 10 designates the forward portion of the frame of a machine to be drawn, such as a harvester. This frame is shown conventionally and may be of any desired form or shape, and may apply to any machine, implement or device to be drawn to which the other elements are applicable. Hinge members 11 are bolted to, spaced apart on and extend forwardly from the frame 10 and a hinge rod 12 is mounted in the forward ends thereof and arranged parallel with said frame. The hinge rod 12 may be arranged in any desired location in respect to the hinge members 11 and preferably is secured against accidental longitudi- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

Serial No. 582,800.

nal movement relative thereto by keys l2 extending through said rod on opposite sides of said hinge members. A stub tongue 13 is pivotally connected at its rear end to an intermediate portion of the hinge rod 12. The stub tongue 13 may be adjusted into any desired location throughout the length of the hinge rod but preferably is positioned adjacent to one of the hinge members 11. A U- shaped angle plate 14 is mounted on and embraces the forward end portion of the stub tongue 13 and the ends of the arms of said plate extend beyond one side of said tongue.

A tongue truck is provided and consists of a caster 15 having its stem extending vertically through and pivoted in the laterally projecting portions of the angle plate 14. The stem of the caster 15 is formed with a flange 15 below and adapted to support the angle plate and also is provided with a key 15 above and adapted to retain said stem in the angle plate. The caster 15 is so shaped and arranged that the wheel thereof tracks normally at one side of the stub tongue 13.

An evener plate is provided and is constructed with a straight front bar 16 and a curved rear bar 17 joined at their ends integrally. Holes 18, 19 are formed in end portions of the evener bar and holes 20, in this instance three in number, are formed in a row in the central portion of the curved rear bar 17. The evener plate is mounted transversely of the forward end portion of the stub tongue 13 and a king bolt 21 is mounted through one or the other of the holes 20 and extends through said stub tongue and also through a hammer-strap 22 fixed to the stub tongue and angle plate 141 by a bolt 22 and extending across the bar 17 of said evener plate. A brace 23, adjustable as to length by a turnbuckle 24, is hooked at its ends through the hole 19 of the evener bar and through a block 25 on the frame 10, which block is laterally removed from the hinge members 11.

braces 26, 27 are connected at their forward ends to the stub tongue 13 and angle plate 14 and are pivoted at their rear ends to end portions of the hinge rod 12. A brace 26 may be connected at its forward end in one of the holes 20 of the evener plate and be pivotally connected at its opposite end to one end portion of the hinge rod 12. This brace 26 preferably would be employed only when this draft appliance is used on an implement having more side draft than the ordinary harvester. A rod 28 leads from the brace 26 to lever mecha nism (not shown) which may be located on the implement and be employed to tip the implement relative to the stub tongue. The brace 26 and rod 23 are shown conventionally and form no part of our invention. A brace 29 is hooked at one end through the hole 18 of the evener plate and is pivoted at its other end to one end portion of the hinge rod 12 adjacent the pivoted end of the brace 27. The pivoted ends of the braces 27, 29 are limited as to movement longitudinally of the hinge rod 12 by keys 30 in said rod and the rear end portion of the brace 26 is limited in like manner by a key 31 on one side and the hinge member 11 on the other. It will be observed that the braces 23 and 29 are on opposite sides of the stub tongue 13.

A clevis 32 is slidingly mounted on the front bar 16 0f the evener plate and is adapted to be moved into any desired position longitudinally of said bar (see dotted lines in Fig. 3). The clevis 32 is formed with a notch or recess 32 in the lower face of its rear portion, which notch or recess is adapted to receive and slidingly engage the bar 16 of the evener plate. A keeper bar 33 is provided with a notch or recess 33 in its upper face and is arranged parallel with, beneath and spaced from the clevis 32 in such position that said notch or recess 33 slidingly embraces and extends beneath the front bar 16 of the evener plate. A hammer-strap 3d overlies the clevis 32." The rear end portions of the clevis 32, keeper bar 33 and hammer-strap 3a are connected by a bolt 35 and a bolt 36 is mounted through said clevis and keeper bar in front of the notches or recesses therein. The bolts 35, 36 are employed to clamp the clevis 32 and keeper bar 33 rigidly to the front bar 16 of the evener plate and fix and determine and hold the clevis in respect to longitudi nal adjustment on said front bar. A swingle-tree 38 is mounted between the hammer-strap 3 1 and clevis 32 and is secured thereto by a bolt 0r pin 37. It will be observed that the clevis 32 and swingletrees are wholly in advance of the forward end portion of the stub tongue 13. It will be observed that the relation of the draft to the following machine may be adjusted by means of the holes 20 in the evener plate, or by means of the clevis 32 on the evener plate.

Assuming that the side draft of the following machine is on the left side of the stub tongue the parts may be assembled with the clevis 32 moved into its leftmost position, or theevener plate may be moved to the left, or both such adjustments may be made, until such experiment determines the proper relation of the draft bolt or pin 37 to the side draft of the machine, at which time it will be found that draft of the animals will move the machine forwardly on a true line. Through the use of the caster 15 we are enabled to turn the machine abruptly on the axis of its bull-wheel without cramping or straining the tongue truck and since such caster will swivel instantly on its axis and in no manner retard or change the direction of the turning movement.

Other adjustments in respect to side draft are provided in the arrangement for moving the stub tongue 13 longitudinally of the hinge rod 12 and in the arrangement for moving said hinge rod longitudinally in the hinge members 11, it being understood that the braces 26, 27 and 29 may be in like manner adjusted laterally of the path of travel of the machine and the brace 23 may be adjusted as to length by the turnbuckle 24.

\Ve claim as our invention 1. The combination of a machine frame, spaced hinge members on said frame, a hinge rod adj ustably mounted in said hinge members, a stub tongue hinged to said hinge rod, an evener plate formed with a straight front bar and a curved rear bar connected at their ends, the curved rear bar of the plate formed with a transverse row of holes, the evener plate arranged horizontally on the stub tongue and pivoted thereto by a king bolt extending through one or another of said holes, braces on opposite sides of said stub tongue and connecting end portions of the evener plate to said frame and hinge wrod respectively, one of said braces being adjustable, a clevis mounted for lateral sliding adjustment on the front bar of the evener plate in front of said king bolt, means for locking said clevis to the plate, and means for attaching swingletrees to said clevis.

2. The combination of a machine frame, spaced hinge members on said frame, ahinge rod adjustably mounted in said hinge members, a stub tongue hinged to said hinge rod and adjustable longitudinally thereof, means for supporting and bracing said stub tongue,

.evener devices mounted on the forward end portion of said stub tongue, and means for attaching a swingletree to said evener devices.

3. The combination of a machine frame, spaced hinge members extending forwardly therefrom, a hinge rod mounted in and extending laterally from said hinge members, a stub tongue pivoted to said hinge rod, braces pivotally connecting the forward por tion of said stub tongue to said rod, a caster supporting said stub tongue, an evener plate mounted on and laterally adjustable relative to said stub tongue, a brace connecting one end portion of said evener plate to the machine frame, a brace pivotally connecting the opposite end portion of said evener plate to said hinge rod, and means for attaching swingletrees to said evener plate.

a. The combination of a machine frame, spaced hinge members extending forwardly therefrom, a hinge rod adjustably mounted in and extending laterally from said hinge members, a stub tongue adjustably pivoted to said hinge rod, braces pivotally connecting the forward portion of said stub tongue to said rod, a caster supporting said stub tongue, an evener plate mounted on and laterally adjustable relative to said stub tongue, a brace adjustably connecting one end por- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

